Wire-stretcher.



UNrrED STATES RANDOLPH '1a/Nunn, oF ToPAz, TEXAS,

PATENT foirnron.

wiRE-sTFiEroHER.

in..- seasav,

Specification of Letters Patent. i Application nea June 2s, 190e. serai No. szsiosz.

Patented ont. 2, 190e.l`

My invention relates 'to wire-stretchers,"

-and my obj ect is to provide a construction oi Vro this character which will he simple, compact,

land"efficient and which may be easily and quickly operated, first, to tightly grasp the pst or other convenient su pportand then to Wind the wire up to tighten the same.

` I5 With these objects in view my invention `consists in theimprovements described in the following specification and claimed in the claims, reference being made to the accompa# 4 nying drawings, in which-' t n l c ,V zo Figure lisa perspective view of my devi-ce. i

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. 'F ig. 3 'is a detail view of the winding spool and means for holding the end of the wire. Fig. 4 is a dot-ail view of the pawl-and-ratchet ar- 25 rangementA for rotating the winding-spool.'

Fig, 5 is a detail View of the lever and pawl of the clamping-frame hereinafter referred to. A

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates a longitudinal bar having racks 2 and 3 formedy 3o on its upper face adjacent one end helow the surface of the bar. At the outer end of the bar is a U--shaped cxtensiomamc 4.

5 and 6 are arms extending at right angles from the U-1rame 4 and provided. with ser- 3'5 rated inner faces 7.

8 is a frame slide-bly mounted on the hurl and provided with an anlifriclion-1oller 8 and having the lateral extensionarm 9, prov vided .with a serrated inner face l() and 4o adapted to coperatie with the arms 5 and Ain securely grasping the post or other support.

.11 is an operatinglever pivoted between cheeks` 12, and 13 is a paw] ivotcd on the 45 Iunder side of the lever 11 am adapted to he forced into. engagement with the rack 3 by means of the spring 14, 15 a paw] pivotally mounted on a standard 16, rising from. the yframe 8, and 17 is a `5o spring-plate. secured on frame 8 andfoperating to force the pawl 15 into engagement with rack-2 ol' har 1. operating upon the rear oi" the pawl 15 in order that said pawl 'may he moved to an upwindingool 21.

have shown the spring 1 7.

8 toward the end ofthe bari.

The teeth of the racks 2 and 3Iare-not in aline'ment,.but one isa half-space in advance of the other, ,so that the frame]L 8 can be moved a half-step, desired, whereby amore 6o eflieient clamping action vis had-: .-Wh'e n the lever 11 is swung downwardly toward thefbfar 1, the pivot 13a of tliejpawl'l?) will-:behelow the plane 'of vt e pivot, 12 fof,the:,.}levenL1',-

right position and looked to move' the frame 55 whereby the la ter is Aprevented lroin-lying 6r upand the frame 8 is locked'inadjuste'c1-: 'posi tion, shown in Figij: The 'vertical walllS and the Av '10a has been introduced into the slot 22 of vthe 3o Keyed to the shaftg20 between tie wall 18 and the portion 19f'of the Ufframeis a ratchet-Wheel 26.

l27' is a ratchet-operating lever havingfa-U shaped lower portion 28, the ends of which 85 Vare provided with holes through which the shaft 20 passes, as shown in dotted lines in' Fig. 4. Pivotally mounted on pin 29 in said. U-shaped portion28 is a pawl 30, heldin en.- gagement with the ratchet-teeth of wheel 26 9e by the spring 31, thus providing that the ratchet-wheel shall turn h y a downward pres'- sure u on the lever 27, and I provide against a bac ward movement 'by the .pawl 32, mounted on pin Band pressed into engage- 9 5 ment with ratchet-wheel -26 by springl. The pawl kdhas two adjacent flat surfaces 30u and'b, respectively, on either of which surfaces the spring 31 is adapted to bear.4

W hen the spring hears ou the surface 30", the toc pa'wl is held in engagement with the ratchet- 'wheehand when the pawl is swung around so that the siring presses on the surface 30 the paw] wil be held up and out of engager; ment with the ratchet-wheel. AThe pawl 3 2 ro'5 is constructed and operates in the same manl ner as the pawl 30. W hen both pawls are disengaged from the ratchet-wheel, as herein moved to allow the wires to disengage.

described, the operator can remove the machine from, the post and step back and unwind the wire from the spool, both hands being left free', as the pawls are held up by the springs.

The cam elamping-levers 35 and 36, ivotally mounted on the U-frame 4 and s iding frame 8, respectively, are provided in oase it is necessary to splice two wires. In this Case one wire is inserted under the serrated camface 37 of lever 35 and other wire is inserted under .the serrated cam-face 38 .of lever, 36 and both levers moved to tightlyclamp the wires. The lever 1 1 is then operated to move frame S forward until the wire is drawn enough to allow for a splice, and the said splice is made before levers 35 and 36 alrle T e wires can be spliced between two posts with the machine sup orted on the wire only. g

In o erationt e arms 5, 6, and 9 are placed aroun a post, and the lever 11 is operated to move frame 8 forward to. bring arm -9 into close engagement with said post, the lever being locked, as heretofore described. The

.wire to-be stretched is then introduced into slot 22 of the winding-spool 21 and t'he latch .23 moved to lock the wire therein. The

ratehet-lever27 is thenalternately drawn up and pressed down, transmitting rotative mo-A tion to shaft 20, the backward movement of said shaft being prevented by pawl 32,.as dedown on the lever the tendency to pull up the post or to tilt it is avoided, the downward push on the lever serving to hush down on the post.

I claim-- 1. In a wire-stretcher, a rack-bar, a sliding jaw mounted on the bar, and a lever fulcrumed on the jaw, andV carrying a pivoted pawl engageable with the rack, the pivot of the awl being outside the line of thrust when the ever is swung downwardly, whereby it is held looked.

2. In a wire-stretcher, a rack-bar having at one end a fixed jaw, a sliding jaw mounted on the bar, and a lever fulcrumed on the jaw, and carrying a pivoted pawl engageable with the rack.

3. In a wire-stretcher, a rack-bar, a sliding jaw mounted on Athe bar, .a lever ulcrumed on: the bar, and carry/ini a pivoted .pawl engageable with the rac and `wire-holding means `on the bar and the jaw.

1f-:Inlet wire;stretcher, a rackfbar having at one .ende legdljaw,v and carrying a wirestretching mechanism, a sliding jaw mounted on the bar, andtlever :tulcrumed .on the jaw,

wird earryinga'pivoted pawl engageable with the rack.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subseribingwitnesses.

RANDOLPH D. NEEL. Witnesses:

A.' C.Z Lone, J. -.N. Bowen. 

